hewey
Well-known member
New driveway looks great, and from what I can see it looks like a nicer approach to the house too.
A Humble Aussie Shed Build
- Thread starter Danshell
- Start date
Trapps
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Well done; on all accounts!
Geoff289
Well-known member
You're sure moving a lot of dirt, Dan. Place is coming along very nicely. I'm jealous you're just about up to a shed project.
HOTFR8
Banned
You have been busy. Great progress. Just watch if you have any Rose plants as the Wallabies love them.
Out of interest what colour are the sheets on your shed. I like how it looks
Thanks, the colour is Monument.
We have some very large old tree stumps down the bottom of the property that were piled up to be burnt but realistically if I light them up you guys on the mainland will see the fire so I am hoping to either get them taken away or have the excavator man dig a massive hole and bury it all.
So theres still potentially more dirt works to be done yet.
And then of course I have to put up 40 mtrs of retaining wall that I have been putting off, so there's some dirt works involved in that, especially moving all the drain rock to go behind it.
Thanks for the comments and interest gents I appreciate it.
Happy new year everyone.
Its timely that I thank our all our fire fighters as we are having some bad fires all over the place. Its terrible to read about people who have lost their lives volunteering or trying to defend their homes.
We had a fire in the bush right near us a few days ago. I called it into 000 which was a little complicated because the local fire brigade were fighting a fire in the distance and the controller on the phone assumed I was talking about that fire. I had to explain several times that yes I can see them in the distance fighting a fire but this is further north and it is right under houses!!
It was a difficult location and terrain to get under control so they brought in the chopper to dump water on it.
Heres a couple of short videos of the chopper doing its thing. Great work by everyone to get it under control because it was under houses that are built on top of the hill.
My dear old mother has been looking after our chooks while we established an area for them to live at the new house. I recently put together a little chook house and fenced of a steep unusable section of the property for them to free range.
We have Quolls and Devils here so I had to make it so they can be locked up of a night time when they roost.
I decided to automate the door so I got an old motorbike battery, an old 12v car antenna and wired it through a $7 ebay timer and relay to open at 6:30am and close at 8pm.....its actually programmable but we just needed it as simple as that.
And of course a video of it in action!
And finally just a coupl eof images to show my little compressor set up. Reading Geoffs build thread reminded me.
I have a little corner outside my garage that is unusable and no one can see, so I built a dodgy little lean-to to keep the compressors outside so its not so noisy inside the garage.
I have my trusty old 15cfm compressor at the back and cheap little big box store back up compressor up the front.
None of it is great to look at, but it is in no mans land so unless you're told to go around the back and look no one would ever know it was there.
The compressors are plugged into an external power point, which is wired into an internal switch that has a large green light on it so I remember to turn it off when I go inside of a night.
I have been doing a lot of other 'outside' projects getting this 4 acres manageable, which Ill show in due course.
Its timely that I thank our all our fire fighters as we are having some bad fires all over the place. Its terrible to read about people who have lost their lives volunteering or trying to defend their homes.
We had a fire in the bush right near us a few days ago. I called it into 000 which was a little complicated because the local fire brigade were fighting a fire in the distance and the controller on the phone assumed I was talking about that fire. I had to explain several times that yes I can see them in the distance fighting a fire but this is further north and it is right under houses!!
It was a difficult location and terrain to get under control so they brought in the chopper to dump water on it.
Heres a couple of short videos of the chopper doing its thing. Great work by everyone to get it under control because it was under houses that are built on top of the hill.
My dear old mother has been looking after our chooks while we established an area for them to live at the new house. I recently put together a little chook house and fenced of a steep unusable section of the property for them to free range.
We have Quolls and Devils here so I had to make it so they can be locked up of a night time when they roost.
I decided to automate the door so I got an old motorbike battery, an old 12v car antenna and wired it through a $7 ebay timer and relay to open at 6:30am and close at 8pm.....its actually programmable but we just needed it as simple as that.
And of course a video of it in action!
And finally just a coupl eof images to show my little compressor set up. Reading Geoffs build thread reminded me.
I have a little corner outside my garage that is unusable and no one can see, so I built a dodgy little lean-to to keep the compressors outside so its not so noisy inside the garage.
I have my trusty old 15cfm compressor at the back and cheap little big box store back up compressor up the front.
None of it is great to look at, but it is in no mans land so unless you're told to go around the back and look no one would ever know it was there.
The compressors are plugged into an external power point, which is wired into an internal switch that has a large green light on it so I remember to turn it off when I go inside of a night.
I have been doing a lot of other 'outside' projects getting this 4 acres manageable, which Ill show in due course.
HOTFR8
Banned
That fire looks far to close. Stay safe and great update. Devils and Chickens do not mix.
Geoff289
Well-known member
Looks pretty dry there Dan and, as HOTFR8 says above, that fire is a lot closer than is comfortable.
Your automated chook door is cool. I almost wish I needed one so I could copy it.
Your automated chook door is cool. I almost wish I needed one so I could copy it.
rixtrix1
Well-known member
I know it's been a lot of work, but the results are definitely worth it!
hewey
Well-known member
That fire is way too close for comfort, good thing it was brought under control before it got out of hand. Nice work on that automated chook shed door too!
Still not a great deal of garage work being done around here, well Im always in it doing things and fixing things but I always forget to take photos, not that any of it has been very interesting I dont think.
We finally retired my wifes old Hyundai with almost 300k kays on the clock. Not one mechanical issue during its life I might add. Actually it did start sucking air through its plastic intake manifold at around 200k kays but that was a simple fix.
So given the unexpected great run on the last Korean car she wanted a Kia Cerato. I was dead against the korean cars for many years but for what she does with it the Kia is ideal really.
So we bought a used (8000 kay demo) 2019 Cerato for 15 grand with her trade. Cheap car, I just hope she doesnt have a serious accident in the cream puff.
They finally lifted the fire restrictions down here so I took the opportunity to start burning off some of the burn piles ive had drying out for a couple of years.
We have been attempting to concrete our deck area that hangs off the side of the mountain for months but 3 times we have had to cancel it due to the weather when my son was available to do the concreting. Im now thinking it will be later in the year before it actually gets poured.
But anyway heres a couple of pics of the preparation. It required a massive amount of fill so I figured it was a good time to collect some of the 100's of rocks around the place and use them.
Behind my garage is a huge rock wall and every time it rained the clay around the rocks would wash silt down onto my path and into the pit drains I have in place.
Its not a place anyone can see or would ever go around the back to look so I retained it with treated sleepers. It isnt actually retaining anything in regards to weight, its just there to stop the silt until I get the rock/clay wall stabilised with plants and grasses.
We have been planting dozens (well over 80) tree's, shrubs, ground covers etc around the place, none are really worthy of photos at this stage but we had a difficult to manage area above the new driveway so we killed it off, put mulch down and planted it out. It is absolutely pouring down with rain here at the moment so apologies for the dark and very gloomy pic but here is the area. It is all work in progress of course.
Thats about it for now. I just bought a new stihl commercial grade brush cutter so Ill be tackling the large blackberry issue I have down the bottom of the property over the coming weeks.
And before we know it winter will be here and thats a good time to start a couple of the little projects I have had in mind for this time of years.
We finally retired my wifes old Hyundai with almost 300k kays on the clock. Not one mechanical issue during its life I might add. Actually it did start sucking air through its plastic intake manifold at around 200k kays but that was a simple fix.
So given the unexpected great run on the last Korean car she wanted a Kia Cerato. I was dead against the korean cars for many years but for what she does with it the Kia is ideal really.
So we bought a used (8000 kay demo) 2019 Cerato for 15 grand with her trade. Cheap car, I just hope she doesnt have a serious accident in the cream puff.
They finally lifted the fire restrictions down here so I took the opportunity to start burning off some of the burn piles ive had drying out for a couple of years.
We have been attempting to concrete our deck area that hangs off the side of the mountain for months but 3 times we have had to cancel it due to the weather when my son was available to do the concreting. Im now thinking it will be later in the year before it actually gets poured.
But anyway heres a couple of pics of the preparation. It required a massive amount of fill so I figured it was a good time to collect some of the 100's of rocks around the place and use them.
Behind my garage is a huge rock wall and every time it rained the clay around the rocks would wash silt down onto my path and into the pit drains I have in place.
Its not a place anyone can see or would ever go around the back to look so I retained it with treated sleepers. It isnt actually retaining anything in regards to weight, its just there to stop the silt until I get the rock/clay wall stabilised with plants and grasses.
We have been planting dozens (well over 80) tree's, shrubs, ground covers etc around the place, none are really worthy of photos at this stage but we had a difficult to manage area above the new driveway so we killed it off, put mulch down and planted it out. It is absolutely pouring down with rain here at the moment so apologies for the dark and very gloomy pic but here is the area. It is all work in progress of course.
Thats about it for now. I just bought a new stihl commercial grade brush cutter so Ill be tackling the large blackberry issue I have down the bottom of the property over the coming weeks.
And before we know it winter will be here and thats a good time to start a couple of the little projects I have had in mind for this time of years.
HOTFR8
Banned
Great photos and a great update. Weather much the same here today.
Geoff289
Well-known member
You've been busy Dan. The place is looking great.
Re the Kia, I put a new starter motor in my daughter's '08 Rio a while back before she moved to Sydney. It has over 300K on the clock and this is the only actual repair its ever needed, anything else was just maintenance items.
Re the Kia, I put a new starter motor in my daughter's '08 Rio a while back before she moved to Sydney. It has over 300K on the clock and this is the only actual repair its ever needed, anything else was just maintenance items.
We finally got the 'infinity' deck concreted.
My young bloke and couple of his mates did the concreting for us. Its just a stipple finish to match the rest of the undercover outdoor area, we are planning to tile it at some stage.
Ive had the stainless balustrade for months in anticipation of putting it up so ill get that done soon enough.
We have some massive clay/rock batters on our property as we are built up on the high side of a hill. I have been letting them run pretty wild which doesnt look that great so I grabbed 40 cubic metres of a cheap mulch to cover the banks so I can mow them with round up once or twice a year while waiting for all the ground covers etc to grow that we are planting into them.
What the photos dont show is just how steep the batters are and how much of an area it is. It would be around 60 mtrs longs by 10 mtrs wide or larger, so its a massive project which will be ongoing for a few weeks yet.
In another area behind my garage is a near vertical clay and rock wall. For the most part it cant be seen but the clay washes down and fills my pit drains. I am planting it out with an Ivy to cover the area which will stabilize the clay but that will take a year or so cover the entire area.
So in the meantime I have started covering it with a hessian jute mesh to keep the clay washing down while the Ivy grows.
Again this is quite a job because the photos dont really show how steep and inaccessible this area is. We have put in 80 ivy plants so they will cover it all quite quickly.
They are considered a pest but for this area they will be perfect. Ill manage them with the whipper snipper when they eventually make their way down the bottom!!
And just a slightly funnier note, one fo the young blokes that was here is very proud of his 4wd and claims it will go anywhere, never gets stuck etc. His locked diffs gets him out of every situation............(I nicknamed him 'lockers')
So I suggested we use his 'never gets stuck Patrol' to take the trailer down to the bottom of the property to grab a load of wood because my 4wd struggled the day before getting back up the top doing just that and I didnt want to risk getting it stuck.
Well it took us 3 hours to winch him back up the top, in fact he got stuck going down!!
Im sure you can imagine the banter as we used every winch extension strap I had to get him out
In his defense his rear locker wasnt engaging so he was in 3 wheel drive, but that didnt stop us stirring him
My young bloke and couple of his mates did the concreting for us. Its just a stipple finish to match the rest of the undercover outdoor area, we are planning to tile it at some stage.
Ive had the stainless balustrade for months in anticipation of putting it up so ill get that done soon enough.
We have some massive clay/rock batters on our property as we are built up on the high side of a hill. I have been letting them run pretty wild which doesnt look that great so I grabbed 40 cubic metres of a cheap mulch to cover the banks so I can mow them with round up once or twice a year while waiting for all the ground covers etc to grow that we are planting into them.
What the photos dont show is just how steep the batters are and how much of an area it is. It would be around 60 mtrs longs by 10 mtrs wide or larger, so its a massive project which will be ongoing for a few weeks yet.
In another area behind my garage is a near vertical clay and rock wall. For the most part it cant be seen but the clay washes down and fills my pit drains. I am planting it out with an Ivy to cover the area which will stabilize the clay but that will take a year or so cover the entire area.
So in the meantime I have started covering it with a hessian jute mesh to keep the clay washing down while the Ivy grows.
Again this is quite a job because the photos dont really show how steep and inaccessible this area is. We have put in 80 ivy plants so they will cover it all quite quickly.
They are considered a pest but for this area they will be perfect. Ill manage them with the whipper snipper when they eventually make their way down the bottom!!
And just a slightly funnier note, one fo the young blokes that was here is very proud of his 4wd and claims it will go anywhere, never gets stuck etc. His locked diffs gets him out of every situation............(I nicknamed him 'lockers')
So I suggested we use his 'never gets stuck Patrol' to take the trailer down to the bottom of the property to grab a load of wood because my 4wd struggled the day before getting back up the top doing just that and I didnt want to risk getting it stuck.
Well it took us 3 hours to winch him back up the top, in fact he got stuck going down!!
Im sure you can imagine the banter as we used every winch extension strap I had to get him out
In his defense his rear locker wasnt engaging so he was in 3 wheel drive, but that didnt stop us stirring him
Geoff289
Well-known member
Well that lot makes my landscaping challenges a bit of a walk in the park. All looking good as usual.
That's what young blokes are for.
but that didnt stop us stirring him
That's what young blokes are for.
HOTFR8
Banned
WOW you have been busy. Looking good too I should add. Keep stirring until he gets the locker fixed.
Thanks gents.
The 'landscaping' around here is big and bold and not really landscaping as such. Its more about just making some large difficult areas manageable and look respectable.
My idea of gardening is using round up (weed killer) and the ride on lawn mower
We will eventually do something a little more formal around the front of the house but thats a long way away.
I have a 50th birthday coming up soon so I was considering buying myself a lathe. I was going to get a lathe/mill combo but I have gone away from that and now I am considering getting just a slightly larger lathe as I can possibly do most of the milling Id ever need to do using the lathe with a little creativity.
Im doing my best to research as much as possible but it is difficult with out having any real lathe experience to know what I want.
I know I want the ability to turn steel but with out having any real jobs or projects in mind it is difficult to know what specs I need. So itll be a case of buying the largest machine I can afford and probably regret it later
I do want to make a smallish metal folder and over the years any other job ive needed done on a lathe all these following machines would have handled it.
https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/L689
Thats the little Optimum variable speed lathe.
And these are the Halfco options.
https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/L149
https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/L141
I was hoping to get a little bit of direction from some people that may know a little more about lathes than I do??
The 'landscaping' around here is big and bold and not really landscaping as such. Its more about just making some large difficult areas manageable and look respectable.
My idea of gardening is using round up (weed killer) and the ride on lawn mower
We will eventually do something a little more formal around the front of the house but thats a long way away.
I have a 50th birthday coming up soon so I was considering buying myself a lathe. I was going to get a lathe/mill combo but I have gone away from that and now I am considering getting just a slightly larger lathe as I can possibly do most of the milling Id ever need to do using the lathe with a little creativity.
Im doing my best to research as much as possible but it is difficult with out having any real lathe experience to know what I want.
I know I want the ability to turn steel but with out having any real jobs or projects in mind it is difficult to know what specs I need. So itll be a case of buying the largest machine I can afford and probably regret it later
I do want to make a smallish metal folder and over the years any other job ive needed done on a lathe all these following machines would have handled it.
https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/L689
Thats the little Optimum variable speed lathe.
And these are the Halfco options.
https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/L149
https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/L141
I was hoping to get a little bit of direction from some people that may know a little more about lathes than I do??
Geoff289
Well-known member
Dan, I have nothing to offer personally but my kid brother is a gun fitter and turner so I asked him.
He wasn't very definitive without me being able to tell him what you wanted to do with it but said he would go for the Hafco products over the other one and to get the best one you can afford. He is used to using big million dollar CNC machines at work.
He later sent me this which might help you
http://www.lathes.co.uk/page2.html
You know that Machinery Warehouse have pretty good sales a few times a year don't you? For something like that I'd definitely be waiting for the next one.
He wasn't very definitive without me being able to tell him what you wanted to do with it but said he would go for the Hafco products over the other one and to get the best one you can afford. He is used to using big million dollar CNC machines at work.
He later sent me this which might help you
http://www.lathes.co.uk/page2.html
You know that Machinery Warehouse have pretty good sales a few times a year don't you? For something like that I'd definitely be waiting for the next one.
Thanks Geoff, I have some reading to do there.
I know its difficult to advise someone when that person doesn't really have specific jobs in mind but ll take the advice on board.
I saved myself a few grand by building the balustrade around our deck myself on the weekend. 300 holes drilled in stainless and one blunt blade on my band saw later..........
I know its difficult to advise someone when that person doesn't really have specific jobs in mind but ll take the advice on board.
I saved myself a few grand by building the balustrade around our deck myself on the weekend. 300 holes drilled in stainless and one blunt blade on my band saw later..........
Attachments
Geoff289
Well-known member
That's making me thirsty. Great view and great work. Stainless is hard going isn't it?
Ralf99
Well-known member
Excellent work on the balustrading - that's a serious amount of cable work.
In regards to a lathe, if you're prepared to be a bit patient, lightly used Hercus machines come up fairly regularly ( in Melbourne at least) on Ebay, Gumtree, and dare I say it - Facebook Marketplace.
Up until '93 Hercus were made in Australia and were common in Tech Schools and TAFE Colleges - often well looked after and lightly worked. I would look for a geared head unit with a metric thread cutting capability. Post '93 Taiwan made models are also decent.
Go for as big a lathe as you can find space for. Bigger means more solid and true in general.
Having said that, I have a 1950's era made in Melbourne belt drive 9" Sheraton (Southbend Clone) which handles pretty much anything I need to turn or thread cut in my garage - but I would like a bigger and more stout machine.
HAFCO used to sell a decent size (10" from memory) lathe/mill combo which would be the ideal small garage machine - I'd jump at one of those but they rarely come up.
In regards to a lathe, if you're prepared to be a bit patient, lightly used Hercus machines come up fairly regularly ( in Melbourne at least) on Ebay, Gumtree, and dare I say it - Facebook Marketplace.
Up until '93 Hercus were made in Australia and were common in Tech Schools and TAFE Colleges - often well looked after and lightly worked. I would look for a geared head unit with a metric thread cutting capability. Post '93 Taiwan made models are also decent.
Go for as big a lathe as you can find space for. Bigger means more solid and true in general.
Having said that, I have a 1950's era made in Melbourne belt drive 9" Sheraton (Southbend Clone) which handles pretty much anything I need to turn or thread cut in my garage - but I would like a bigger and more stout machine.
HAFCO used to sell a decent size (10" from memory) lathe/mill combo which would be the ideal small garage machine - I'd jump at one of those but they rarely come up.
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Thanks very much for the advice.
Every time I spend time researching Lathes I am learning a little more.
Its a shame machinery house doesn't still sell the Halfco lathe/mill combo.
I cant really buy second hand because I will most likely put it on one of those interest free arrangements. Large chunks of money are reserved for property development only in this house......happy wife...happy life if you know what I mean We are just average working people so to spend 3k on a lathe is reasonably significant, especially as it serves no other purpose other than to give me things to tinker with in the garage.
I am really leaning towards the halfo 320g. Mainly because it is the largest lathe in the range that I would be willing to afford. Its tooling is 12mm, it has a geared head and does all the threading Id ever need. It comes with a 3 and 4 jaw chuck and its physical size would be fine in my garage.
https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/L141
Like everything in life I would much prefer something quite a bit larger to future proof its use but I could say that about my garage and nearly every piece of equipment I have in the garage.
Every time I spend time researching Lathes I am learning a little more.
Its a shame machinery house doesn't still sell the Halfco lathe/mill combo.
I cant really buy second hand because I will most likely put it on one of those interest free arrangements. Large chunks of money are reserved for property development only in this house......happy wife...happy life if you know what I mean
We are just average working people so to spend 3k on a lathe is reasonably significant, especially as it serves no other purpose other than to give me things to tinker with in the garage.I am really leaning towards the halfo 320g. Mainly because it is the largest lathe in the range that I would be willing to afford. Its tooling is 12mm, it has a geared head and does all the threading Id ever need. It comes with a 3 and 4 jaw chuck and its physical size would be fine in my garage.
https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/L141
Like everything in life I would much prefer something quite a bit larger to future proof its use but I could say that about my garage and nearly every piece of equipment I have in the garage.
hewey
Well-known member
That balustrade came out really nice, nice work!
Thanks Hewey we are really happy with it.
We bought a cheap Bunnings firepot to use out on the deck. Im not sure how long itll last but hopefully we get a couple of seasons out of it.
The kids love it, although I nearly caught them all playing with their phones the other night while sitting around the fire!
Our deck is all but suspended off the side of a large drop, which is what we wanted as it gives us an 'infinity' look out over the view.
But because of that I had to retain the front of the slab to tidy it and also it will be the start of some steps down to the next level and gives me a better solution for back filling. Its difficult to tell what I talking about from these photos but itll all make sense when all the steps etc are done.
I filled most of with a bulk fill and then topped it off with a garden mix. My wife will plant it out this weekend I think.
Those with a keen eye for detail will notice the threaded rod still sticking up where the balustrade posts bolt down. They will be cut off and and capped with stainless done head nuts once the tiling is done. Yes, apparently I have to tile the whole outdoor area.........
And now for the good news...........
FINALLY A SHED PROJECT!!
My youngest son is a builder. He worked for a large commercial construction company all through his apprenticeship and for the last however many years until they fell victim to this Covid downturn. They relied on large government projects and sadly the jobs they had moving forward were all recently either cancelled or put off indefinitely, so the firm is looking like winding up in this area.
So my son parted company with them and has decided to have a crack as a sole trader while he is young and not committed to the big things in life.
So he wants a tool trailer. A nice big chunky tool trailer.
I had most of the steel delivered this week and we only just picked up the remaining steel and the rest of the items needed yesterday.
Its typical 'Aussie Style' trailer build. 100mm x 50mm x 3mm draw bar and 50mm x 50mm x 3mm chassis. With the rest of the frame work being built out of smaller and lighter material. All sheeted with either 1.2mm or 1.6mm steel depending on the application.
It has 1400kg springs so it will also have brakes. Just mechanical drum brakes. The trailer should weigh around 500-600kgs before he puts his tools in it.
The budget is $2500. So far we have bought everything including paint, door seals, wiring, you name it we think we have the full trailer sitting in the garage in pieces, so including freight we are up to $2400
Rego will be a bit under $200 so assuming there are not too many minor incidentals I think he has done well. 
Last night we tacked together the basic chassis and draw bar making sure our geometry was where we needed it.
Obviously there is a lot more to the chassis/draw bar than this but all that will come today.
I am hoping to get a lot of the sheeting cut today while I have a helper here.
Heres the cutting list.
Ill keep you updated as we progress.
Geoff289
Well-known member
Deck looks great Dan. Nice work on the retaining wall, mitred corners and everything!
The trailer project looks like fun and good on your young bloke for having a go on his own. Nearly $200 to register a trailer down there? That's pretty steep. I just looked up what it would be here and looks like $60 but I don't have to register the one I've got as its right on the maximum size it can be before that is required. Even the last caravan I had which was 23 feet long would only be the same $60.
The trailer project looks like fun and good on your young bloke for having a go on his own. Nearly $200 to register a trailer down there? That's pretty steep. I just looked up what it would be here and looks like $60 but I don't have to register the one I've got as its right on the maximum size it can be before that is required. Even the last caravan I had which was 23 feet long would only be the same $60.
Thanks Geoff. I wouldnt have 45'ed the corners because for the most part they wont be seen but the builder son erected it
Yep rego down here is silly expensive.....
Trailer Unladen Mass > 0.5t & GVM < 4.5t first time rego which includes plates
$208.16 then $162.88 per year after that.
Before that of course he has to have it inspected and issued a VIN number which is another $75.
Im just having an early lunch stop from cutting sheet metal, it is a terrible job.
Yep rego down here is silly expensive.....
Trailer Unladen Mass > 0.5t & GVM < 4.5t first time rego which includes plates
$208.16 then $162.88 per year after that.
Before that of course he has to have it inspected and issued a VIN number which is another $75.
Im just having an early lunch stop from cutting sheet metal, it is a terrible job.
Geoff289
Well-known member
So what do you use to do that? - cut sheet, not eat lunch
hewey
Well-known member
Making good use of that new deck already. The trailer project looks good too, hope it works out for your son.
Yesterday I was using my 5" grinder with a 1mm cutting disc. Today I am going to try something that goes against my better judgement so I may end up in hospital
But apparently these are great for cutting sheet metal.
https://www.totaltools.com.au/113393-evolution-1200w-185mm-multi-purpose-circular-saw-rage1b
All the youtube videos I have been watching shows people with a lot of blade hanging out the bottom......I think Ill try my first cut with minimal blade exposed.
I use an evolution compound mitre saw to cut all my RHS and SHS during the day (extremely noisy) and I use my horizontal band saw during the night. My nieghbour's are a long way away so they cant really hear anything but I am pretty sure a mitre saw cutting steel at night would be heard miles away!
So yesterday I actually made a lot more progress than these photos show, I just havent taken any photos yet, but the whole frame system is in place.
Here is the completed chassis drawbar before sheeting.
I then sikaflexed and welded the sheeting to the subfloor.
I sheeted this floor in three panels to make better use of the 'offcuts' in my sheeting plan.
There is a secondary floor 300mm higher up which is sheeted in one sheet as it is the main floor that is seen and used to hold his tools etc.
The subfloor under it is not really seen and it only holds his brooms, shovels or anything long and skinny apparently.
Geoff289
Well-known member
Yesterday I was using my 5" grinder with a 1mm cutting disc. Today I am going to try something that goes against my better judgement so I may end up in hospital
But apparently these are great for cutting sheet metal.
https://www.totaltools.com.au/113393-evolution-1200w-185mm-multi-purpose-circular-saw-rage1b
All the youtube videos I have been watching shows people with a lot of blade hanging out the bottom......I think Ill try my first cut with minimal blade exposed.
I use an evolution compound mitre saw to cut all my RHS and SHS during the day (extremely noisy) and I use my horizontal band saw during the night. My nieghbour's are a long way away so they cant really hear anything but I am pretty sure a mitre saw cutting steel at night would be heard miles away!
Interesting. I had a look at that Evolution saw and also their mitre saw you mentioned. Is there anything special about them other than the blade? Could you put the same blade on another saw and it'd do the job just as well?
Ralf99
Well-known member
From what I understand, it's a combination of the blade, slower blade speed, and a more robust gearbox. On most wood only circular saws the internal gears are 'surprisingly delicate' and are unlikely to survive the added shock load of metal cutting.
Could having the blade extended well past the cut improve the chipping action of the teeth and reduce kickback, while reducing the number of teeth in contact with work to reduce load on the motor and gearbox?
I have been contemplating one of the Evolution mitre saws but was concerned about the noise generated living in the burbs - from your comments looks like I'll be sticking to a bandsaw.
Could having the blade extended well past the cut improve the chipping action of the teeth and reduce kickback, while reducing the number of teeth in contact with work to reduce load on the motor and gearbox?
I have been contemplating one of the Evolution mitre saws but was concerned about the noise generated living in the burbs - from your comments looks like I'll be sticking to a bandsaw.
I cant be certain to be honest but the compound mitre saw is great, I love it.
I think Ralf has pretty much summed it though. I actually just bought the evolution blade and put it on a really old Ryobi circular saw. I have newer circular saws for wood but the old ryobi matched the RPM to what the Evolution blade calls for. That was my only consideration really. As for the gearbox of the ryobi, only time will tell and it doesnt bother me too much if it kills the machine, I have had it for years and it has well and truly served its purpose.
Heres the old Ryobi with the Evolution blade. I should have taken a video of it in action.
Yeh I have to admit, cutting metal with a circular saw is very noisy.
I didnt end up in hospital, in fact the blade on the old Ryobi was just like cutting ply wood. It was brilliant. I only just dropped the blade around 5mm and it worked perfect.
Another full day in the shed. Well full for a Sunday and albeit being Mothers day.
Last night I managed to get the trailer on its wheels and a fair amount of the frame work plumbed up and tacked in place.
Today I managed to weld the frame up, cut most of the sheeting, sika and welded the sheeting on the sides and end, fitted the mud guards, seam sealed the seams with sika, and I put a heavy coat of hammer finish grey inside the smaller cavity and on the underside of the secondary floor before sika flexing the secondary floor in place.
I also sikaflexed the roof on. Here is a poor quality pic of where I ended up.
I do have the doors and door bracing tacked together so next weekend I should get the majority of it finished.
He wants one or two extra bays or tiers so Ill order some more steel this week for that. We have enough left over sheeting to cover the sheeting but he will blow his budget by 50 or so dollars getting the extra SHS to make the frame for the shelves.
I also want to mount a spare wheel carrier somewhere. I am thinking of putting a swing down type mount on the back of it. Its going to have plenty of ball weight so putting the spare on the back wont hurt and itll give him the space he wants on the draw bar to carry his wheel barrow or compactor machine.
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Danshell, if you plan to cut a lot of steel, you might want to upgrade to a cold cut saw meant to cut steel using a carbide blade. The Evolution Rage2 saw runs at 1450rpm and cuts so quietly your neighbors (or even your family in the house) won't hear it. The carbide blade cuts steel with only a few little sparks, not the roman candle of an abrasive blade. The cut is also clean, with no burrs, unlike the abrasive wheel that leaves huge razor blades on every cut. I bought one of these Evolution Rage2 saws when they were on sale back in 2018 for around $200(US). Before I acquired this cold saw, I used a 10" abrasive wheel on a standard speed (3800rpm) miter saw and it sounded like a freight train with the wheels locked up when I was cutting steel. It appears the saw is available in Australia but for two-and-a-half times the price. This site has some videos showing the saw in action but they don't seem to focus on the noise. However they do show the relatively spark- and burr-free cuts.
https://www.totaltools.com.au/113391-evolution-2200w-355mm-multi-purpose-cold-cut-saw-rage2
https://www.totaltools.com.au/113391-evolution-2200w-355mm-multi-purpose-cold-cut-saw-rage2
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Hi Bob
For the most part I use my horizontal band saw for cutting steel as it is the quietest of all. I wouldnt say I cut a lot of steel but from time to time I do get a chunky project like this one that requires a fair amount of cutting.
I have the Evolution compound mitre saw. It uses the same blade as the larger drop saw except it has the 255mm blade not the 355mm blade.
I may one day get a dedicated metal cutting drop saw like the one you have shown. I wouldnt buy an abrasive drop saw, even though the temptation has been there in the past as you can get them cheap in the box box store.
Thanks for dropping in.
For the most part I use my horizontal band saw for cutting steel as it is the quietest of all. I wouldnt say I cut a lot of steel but from time to time I do get a chunky project like this one that requires a fair amount of cutting.
I have the Evolution compound mitre saw. It uses the same blade as the larger drop saw except it has the 255mm blade not the 355mm blade.
I may one day get a dedicated metal cutting drop saw like the one you have shown. I wouldnt buy an abrasive drop saw, even though the temptation has been there in the past as you can get them cheap in the box box store.
Thanks for dropping in.
Geoff289
Well-known member
Very impressed with the trailer Dan. If there wasn't a stretch of damp stuff between us I'd be lining up to get one.
So, you blokes who know stuff, these Evolution saws. It seems speed is a key factor in the effectiveness of these things, leaving aside the robustness of the gearbox etc. I see the smaller hand held one Dan posted first has a no load speed of 3,900 rpm, his compound mitre saw 2,500 and the large drop saw Bob posted runs at 1,450.
So quite a wide speed variation between the three of them. Am I right in assuming that these are spindle or axle speeds and that they are all in the same ball park speed wise in terms of the speed the teeth are travelling as the larger the diameter of the blade the faster the teeth will be travelling relative to the spindle or axle?
I don't have a need for anything too big (or expensive) but putting one of these blades on an old saw I have like Dan has is an attractive idea if I can match blade size and quoted speed.
So, you blokes who know stuff, these Evolution saws. It seems speed is a key factor in the effectiveness of these things, leaving aside the robustness of the gearbox etc. I see the smaller hand held one Dan posted first has a no load speed of 3,900 rpm, his compound mitre saw 2,500 and the large drop saw Bob posted runs at 1,450.
So quite a wide speed variation between the three of them. Am I right in assuming that these are spindle or axle speeds and that they are all in the same ball park speed wise in terms of the speed the teeth are travelling as the larger the diameter of the blade the faster the teeth will be travelling relative to the spindle or axle?
I don't have a need for anything too big (or expensive) but putting one of these blades on an old saw I have like Dan has is an attractive idea if I can match blade size and quoted speed.
The evolution 185mm blade I bought had max 5000 RPM written on it and my Ryobi saw revs at 4800 and takes a 190mm blade so in my eyes I thought it was a good match.
Oddly, the blade specs on the total tools website says max 3900 rpm, so I just went out to the shed and checked and mine definitely says 5000rpm on the blade.
I had to buy a bush set to fit it as the Ryobi suits a 16mm hole and the Evolution blade has a 20mm hole. But for $5 it was an easy fix.
https://www.bunnings.com.au/craftright-12-piece-circular-saw-bush-set_p6360169
Oddly, the blade specs on the total tools website says max 3900 rpm, so I just went out to the shed and checked and mine definitely says 5000rpm on the blade.
I had to buy a bush set to fit it as the Ryobi suits a 16mm hole and the Evolution blade has a 20mm hole. But for $5 it was an easy fix.
https://www.bunnings.com.au/craftright-12-piece-circular-saw-bush-set_p6360169